Six of seven COVID-19 patients at WellStar WGMC have been released from hospital

Six of the seven COVID-19 patients at WellStar West Georgia Medical Center have been released from the hospital and are at home. The seventh was transferred to WellStar Kennestone.

Troup County has seven confirmed COVID-19 cases, according to the Georgia Department of Public Health. WellStar West Georgia Medical Center President Coleman Foss also confirmed seven total confirmed cases in the county on Wednesday afternoon.

Foss confirmed that all seven of the Troup County patients had been treated at WellStar West Georgia Medical Center. The six discharged patients are still being called daily as part of the hospital’s normal protocol and are in quarantine.

The hospital has tested around 30 patients for COVID-19, Foss said. Six of the seven confirmed cases were tested at the hospital, meaning about one-fifth of patients tested at WellStar WGMC have had a positive test. The seventh patient was tested at an outside clinic.

The hospital also currently has a total of 13 persons-of-interest, which is identified as someone who has severe symptoms of COVID-19, such as a high fever, severe cough and shortness of breath. That number fluctuates throughout the day and changes regularly.

Foss said that the age, gender and race of those affected has been a mix, but it’s clear all of the local cases have been community-acquired and not through travel.

“They are considered to be community-acquired right now from what we’ve seen in our community,” Foss said. “It’s been a cross-section of ages, race, gender, and there’s no one particular age bracket.”

The Georgia Department of Public Health released that there were 1,387 total cases in the state at 7 p.m. on Wednesday evening.

Statewide, according to public health, 483 people have been hospitalized out of 1,387 cases. That means 31.5 percent of people with a confirmed case of COVID-19 have been hospitalized.